Nuclear medicine employs radioactive material for therapy and diagnostic imaging. Positron emission tomography (PET) is one type of diagnostic imaging, which utilizes doses of radiopharmaceutical. The doses of radiopharmaceutical may be injected or infused into a patient prior to or during a PET scan procedure. An infused dose of radiopharmaceutical can be absorbed by cells of a target organ of the patient and emit radiation. A PET scanner can detect the emitted radiation in order to generate an image of an organ. For example, to image body tissue such as the myocardium, a patient may be injected or infused with rubidium-82 (i.e., 82Rb). Rubidium-82 may exhibit similar physiological uptake as potassium and, accordingly, may be taken into the myocardium following potassium pathways.
Rubidium-82 can be generated for nuclear medicine procedures using a strontium-rubidium generator (82Sr/82Rb generator). Rubidium-82 is a radioactive decay product of strontium-82. Typically, strontium-rubidium generators contain strontium bound to a generator column through which an eluant is flushed during operation. As strontium-82 decays to rubidium-82, the rubidium-82 may release from the generator column and enter the eluant. The resulting stream, which is called an eluate, can be injected or infused into a patient. Being able to accurately and timely monitor different nuclear isotopes present in the eluate may help ensure the safe and efficacious use of such a radioisotope generator.